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REGINA – Close to 200 people walked from the Royal Saskatchewan Museum to the Legislature on Wednesday night for a candlelight vigil to show support for the people of La Loche in the wake of last Friday’s shooting.

Some in attendance even feared for their friend’s lives on that fateful day.

“I contacted one of my friends up there. It was sort of sitting on pins and needles to wait to hear from her, as it was, we had some good news, and she was fine,” explained Charmaine Ross, a local teacher who went to school with a woman who now lives in La Loche.

Solemn prayers and a rendition of “Lean on Me” kept the crowds warm. Discussions of the tragedy and ongoing healing took place throughout the night.

As resources come into the small northern community, the vigil’s organizer, Juanita Tuharsky, said it’s vital to listen to the in La Loche there on how best to help.

“They have the answers. We need to help them nurture those answers and support them,” explained the Balfour Collegiate teacher.

Tuharsky initially spread word of the vigil through the local branch of the Saskatchewan Teacher’s Federation (STF). She guessed 20 people would show up initially, never expecting the vigil to have the reach it did.